Carmelite Brother Sean Keefe died Jan. 6 in Manningham, Australia. He was 74 and in his 50th year of religious life.
Brother Keefe, a native of Louisville, Ky., was a 1964 graduate of DeSales High School. He ministered as a teacher in Kentucky and Australia.
In the Archdiocese of Louisville, he taught religion and social studies at DeSales from 1974 to 1979 and again between 2000 and 2001.
In 2001 Brother Keefe traveled to Manningham, Australia, where he served as a teacher and chaplain at Whitefriars College.
Brother Keefe also ministered to the poor in the Southeast Asian nation of East Timor where he established a scholarship program to help young people finish high school and receive training in fields such as education, health care, technology and mechanics.
In 2016 Brother Keefe was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia by the Australia Day Honours for his service to the city of Manningham and to the people of East Timor.
He is survived by members of his extended family and religious community.
A private funeral Mass was held Jan. 14 in Manningham.
Memorial gifts may be made by visiting https://in-loving-memory-br-sean-keefe.raisely.com/.
A great man a great teacher I was lucky enough to have Mr Keefe as a social studies teacher in the mid 90s. Brother Sean believed in me when so few did. He was a great story teller too going back to his his days in Kentucky. God bless you Brother Sean thank you for believing in me it was an honor to be in your classroom.
I met Br. Sean when I served on the Board of Joliet Catholic Academy. A kind, generous and always upbeat person. A joy to see anytime I was at the school. RIP Brother!